Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing has intimated that Honda and Chevrolet may be more evenly matched when the Indianapolis 500 starts on Sunday.
Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Chevrolet-powered teams took the top eight positions in qualifying, including a clean sweep of the Fast Six led by polesitter Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Team Penske car.
Dixon, on the other hand, drove a group of seven Honda-powered cars into the top ten in the last practice session on Friday’s Carb Day, clocking a flying lap of 227.206mph.
Although Dixon, a six-time IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner, believes the two manufacturers are closer in terms of race performance, he does not appear to be overly concerned with speed.
“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to tell in race trim, to be honest,” said Dixon, who starts 21st.
“I’d say it appears more flat, but they still seem to pull off and come back from a distance. It will be interesting to watch how it performs in the race. Obviously, nobody was over-stressing the engine throughout that session.
“Many times, the fastest vehicle does not win, so you just have to try to check all of the boxes, make sure you’re covering everything, and see what the last 20 or 40 laps offer you and proceed from there. But I think we have a chance, and that is all you need.”
Cooler track conditions could be an issue. Throughout the week, including qualifying, the track temperature climbed to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, but the ambient temperature hovered in the mid 80s.
Conditions may be substantially cooler if there is a threat of rain but it is overcast.
When questioned by Motorsport.com at Friday’s post-practice media availability about what role that could play, Dixon and McLaughlin both offered some ideas.
“The pack will just get tighter,” Dixon added.
McLaughlin replied, “Yes, I agree. I think it will — well, we will have more grip, but everyone will get more grip, so I believe we will see the same gaps and so on. It’s a matter of being able to spot and profit on their blunders.
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